AUSTIN, Texas — An Austin restaurateur is expanding a long-standing kitchen tradition into a community lifeline, offering free meals to anyone struggling to make ends meet.
C.K. Chin, partner and cofounder of Wu Chow and Swift’s Attic, said he heard about families waiting on delayed SNAP benefits and federal workers who have missing paychecks. As the stories grew, so did his concern and he decided to act.
Inside his restaurants, staff members begin each day with what they call a “family meal,” a time when cooks, servers, bartenders and dishwashers sit together before service. Chin said the ritual reminds him that hospitality starts at home…